Digest

September 23, 2003

CANADA

Prime minister shows no sign of early exit

OTTAWA Canadian Prime Minister Jean ChrM-itien showed no signs of quitting ahead of schedule Monday even though the ruling Liberal Party decided overwhelmingly it wanted former Finance Minister Paul Martin to be the new leader.

Party members voted over the weekend for delegates to a leadership convention in November, and Martin walked away with more than 89 percent of the vote, compared with just 10 percent for his sole rival, Heritage Minister Sheila Copps.

By rights, Martin would automatically become prime minister when he assumes the leadership crown, but ChrM-itien says he will not leave before next February.

ITALY

Drug use appears likely to be criminalized

ROME The Italian government wants to toughen the country's drug laws and make possession of hard and soft drugs a criminal offense again, Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini said Monday.

Ten years ago, Italians voted in a referendum to decriminalize the use of drugs, whether cocaine or cannabis, which meant drug takers ran no risk of going to jail although sellers and traffickers could still be punished.

The government is planning a new sliding scale which will penalize consumption, possession and trafficking.

BELGIUM

Dutch foreign minister chosen to lead NATO

BRUSSELS NATO selected Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer as the alliance's new secretary general Monday, picking a diplomat-turned-politician to help ease tensions between the United States and key European allies over the Iraq war.

After a nine-month search, ambassadors from the 19 NATO nations agreed on De Hoop Scheffer to replace Britain's Lord Robertson, whose four-year term ends on Jan. 1.

De Hoop Scheffer, 55, showed his diplomatic skills this year during the debate over Iraq as his government supported the U.S.-led war but avoided antagonizing France, Germany and other European opponents of the effort to oust Saddam Hussein.

IRAN

Intelligence agent cited in journalist's murder

TEHRAN An agent for Iran's Intelligence Ministry was charged with murder Monday in the death of an Iranian-Canadian photojournalist from injuries she received while in custody.

This appears to be a compromise clearing Iran's government of any wrongdoing and blaming an individual agent with acting alone. However, Canada's foreign minister has said government agents would not act without orders from above.

The Tehran prosecutor's office said a judge investigating the case charged the intelligence agent with "semi-premeditated murder." There was no immediate explanation of the charge.

Zahra Kazemi, 54, a Canadian of Iranian origin, was detained in June for taking photos outside a Tehran prison during student-led protests. After 77 hours of interrogation, she was rushed to a hospital's intensive care unit, where she died 14 days later.

ZIMBABWE

Officials charge banned newspaper's directors

HARARE Four directors of Zimbabwe's only independent daily newspaper were charged Monday with violating the country's severe media laws -- part of the government crackdown on dissent in this troubled southern African country.

The charges followed the government's move over the weekend to ban the Daily News. On Monday, police continued to search the newspaper's offices and seize equipment.

The developments touched off fears that the crackdown against dissent and opposition to the government of longtime autocratic ruler President Robert Mugabe might be intensifying.